Chief Secretary-Led Committee Formed to Ensure Transparent and Secure Online Examinations in the Future
MUMBAI: School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse announced in both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council that a Special Investigation Team has been established to probe the Maharashtra State Teacher Eligibility Test 2026 question paper leak. The minister stated that the government is exploring necessary legal amendments to register cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against anyone found guilty in the scam. Furthermore, a high-level committee chaired by the Chief Secretary will be formed to build the necessary infrastructure for conducting all major future examinations, including the TET, through transparent and secure online methods.
The minister detailed that the police received intelligence on June 27 regarding active individuals attempting to sell the TET question papers scheduled for June 28. Acting swiftly on the information, the police laid a trap and detained three individuals. A verification of the documents found in their possession revealed the official TET question paper. A subsequent inquiry by senior education department officials confirmed that the seized document was indeed the actual question paper for the upcoming exam. Following this, an omnibus case was registered at the Kongaon Police Station in Bhiwandi under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Examinations Act, 1982, leading to the arrest of the three suspects.
Given the gravity of the offense, the Director General of Police ordered the creation of a Special Investigation Team under the jurisdiction of the Thane City Police Commissionerate. The SIT is conducting a thorough, deep-dive investigation, and separate police teams have already been dispatched to Bihar, Haryana, and Delhi to track wider links. The arrested accused are currently in police custody as the investigation progresses.
Outlining the government’s upcoming remedial measures, Minister Bhuse assured that the rescheduled TET-2026 examination will be conducted in a completely transparent, secure, and disciplined environment. Candidates will not be charged any examination fee for this re-test. The newly proposed Chief Secretary-led committee will systematically review the state’s examination infrastructure to transition crucial recruitment tests to robust online platforms, preventing such manual security breaches in the future.
